Starting this Saturday, December 28, the USB-C charger is the only one allowed in a wide range of electronic devices sold in the European Union (EU), at the end of the two-year adaptation period to the European law whose The goal is to reduce electronic waste and simplify the lives of consumers. Member States had until December 28 to apply the European directive that requires all mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, e-books, keyboards, mice, video game consoles, speakers and navigation systems to incorporate a single charger , USB-C type.
Laptops have until April 28, 2026 to comply with the regulations.
The directive also harmonizes fast charging requirements and gives consumers the option of not receiving a new charger with each device purchase. Manufacturers will need to update their packaging to clearly display information about charging characteristics and what is included with each purchase.
This regulation therefore makes it possible to mitigate the so-called ‘technological lock-in’, by which a consumer becomes captive of a specific manufacturer when purchasing one of its devices. The objective of this law is threefold: to guarantee consumer convenience, reduce electronic waste and avoid fragmentation of the charging device market, according to the text of the directive.
The system that was in force until now, in which USB 2.0 Micro B, USB-C and Lightning (exclusive to Apple) shared space thanks to a voluntary agreement from 2009, still contributed to generating up to 11,000 tons of electronic waste per year. , according to estimates by the European Commission.
The standard aims to address this figure by allowing consumers to purchase new electronic devices without having to purchase an additional charger, which will save citizens up to 250 million euros annually on unnecessary chargers.
This law is part of a broader EU strategy aimed at reducing electronic waste and informing consumers so they can make more sustainable decisions, thus promoting a circular economy. In addition to reducing electronic waste generated by the sale of radio equipment, the regulations aim to reduce the extraction of raw materials and CO2 emissions generated by the production, transportation and disposal of chargers.
“We will closely follow how manufacturers adapt to these changes and we look forward to the (European) Commission’s studies on the evolution of wireless charging and future disaggregation requirements,” the president of the Internal Market Commission said that Friday. of the European Parliament, Anna Cavazzini.
For this Green MEP, “it is vital to ensure that consumers have the tools to continue making smart and sustainable decisions as the market evolves.”
The directive, whose implementation is mandatory starting tomorrow, came into force on December 27, 2022, and since then manufacturers have had two years to implement it.
Source: www.eldiario.es
